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Glossary
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ABANDONMENT - The relinquishing of all title, possession or claim; a virtual, intentional throwing away of
property.
ABET - To encourage or facilitate the commission of a crime, promote its accomplishment, or help in bringing
the crime about. See party.
ABEYANCE - A condition of being undetermined; not yet settled, as to hold a case or decision in abeyance.
AB INITIO (Latin) - From the beginning.
ABSTRACT - A summary or synopsis, as an “abstract of title.”
ABSTRACT OF JUDGMENT - A complete history, in short, abbreviated form, or the case as found in the record;
when filed by the judgment creditor with the county clerk, it creates a judgment lien on the real estate of the
defendant in the county where filed.
ACCELERATION (CONTRACTUAL) - The shortening of the time to pay a debt because of a breach of some
condition in the contract.
ACCESSORY - Someone who helps another person to commit a crime without being present when the crime was
committed. See party.
ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT - A person who knows that a crime has been committed and assists the person
who committed the crime to avoid arrest or punishment. See party.
ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT - A person who encourages or assists another in planning a crime or preparing to
commit a crime but is not present when the crime is committed. See party.
ACCOMPLICE - A person who joins with a principal offender in committing a crime, knowingly, voluntarily, and
with the same intent to commit a crime as the principal offender.
ACCUSED - The defendant in a criminal case; also called suspect or actor in the Penal Code.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT - The formal declaration before an authorized official such as a notary that an instrument
(such as a deed) executed by the person was executed voluntarily and freely.
ACQUITTAL - The legal certification that an accused person is not guilty of the charged offense.
ADJUDICATION - A formal determination or judgment in a cause by a court of law; determination of the rights of
the parties in a case.
AD LITEM (Latin) - for the purposes of the suit; a guardian ad litem is a person appointed by the court to
represent a minor, an incompetent person or any other person entitled to such protection by law.
ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING - The presentation of evidence in a quasi-judicial forum which forms the basis of
some action to be taken by an administrative agency of the executive branch of government.
ADMISSIONS - Confessions or voluntary acknowledgments made by a party about the existence of certain facts.
ADMONISH - A statement in the nature of advice, caution or instruction; the giving of a warning, as to admonish
a defendant of the defendant’s rights.
ADMONISHMENT - A statement of warning, advice, caution, instruction, or reminder. See admonish.
ADVANCE SHEETS - Unbound reporters containing court opinions that are printed in advance of the bound
reporter volumes.
ADVISEMENT - The consideration or deliberation by a court, after the argument of a cause by counsel and
before the opinion is delivered; as to take a case under advisement.
AFFIANT - The person who swears to an affidavit or statement.
AFFIDAVIT - A written or printed statement or declaration of facts made voluntarily and sworn to or affirmed by
an affiant before a person having authority to administer an oath or affirmation.
AFFIDAVIT OF SERVICE - A sworn statement that a document (such as a summons) has been delivered or
exhibited to a designated person.
AFFINITY - A relationship established through marriage as compared to consanguinity, which refers to blood
relationships (having a common ancestor).
AFFIRM - For a court of appeals to declare that a judgment, decree, or order of a lower court is valid and must
stand as rendered; to declare, assert or state positively; one may affirm rather than swear (make an affirmation
rather than swear an oath).
AFFIRMATION - A solemn assertion or declaration that an affidavit is true, that a witness will tell the truth; an
affirmation can substitute for an oath.
AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE - A defense that raises matters not covered in the plaintiff’s claim which will defeat the
plaintiff’s claim even if all of the plaintiff’s allegations can be proved; in criminal law, a defense which the
defendant must prove by a preponderance of evidence.
AGENT - A person legally authorized by another (the principal) to act on behalf of the principal; this authority
may be apparent (the authority exists because the principal knowingly or negligently permits the agent to use
the authority without expressly conferring the authority) or real (expressly conferring the authority to act on
behalf of the principal).
ALIAS - "Otherwise called," indicating one was called by another name, “also known as,” (A.K.A.).
ALIAS CITATION - A citation issued after the original citation usually directed to the sheriff or constable of
another county or directed to the defendant under another name.
ALIAS EXECUTION - An order of execution issued after the first one was unsuccessful in satisfying the judgment,
ordering the sheriff to seize other property.
ALIBI - A defense in which a criminal defendant claims to have been “elsewhere” when the offense with which
the person was charged occurred. The defendant was in a place so removed from the place where the crime
took place that the person could not have committed the crime alleged in the complaint.
AMBIGUOUS - Unclear, uncertain, vague, capable of more than one meaning or interpretation.
AMICUS CURIAE (Latin) - "A friend of the court;" a person who has no right to appear in a suit (a “non party”)
but who is allowed to introduce argument, authority, or evidence to protect the person’s interests.
AMORTIZATION - The process of paying off a debt through partial payment of the principal and accrued interest
at stated periods for a definite time.
AMOUNT IN CONTROVERSY - In a civil suit the amount sued for; the actual dollar value of the plaintiff’s claim.
ANSWER - is the written response that a party who is sued must file with the court after being served with a
citation.
APPEAL - A request or complaint to a higher court to correct an injustice or error committed by a lower court; in
justice court, the removal of the cause from justice court to county court for the purpose of obtaining a review
and new trial.
APPEAL BOND - A bond submitted by a person bringing an appeal which will: (1) assure the person’s appearance
in the court to which appeal is made, and (2) cover the opponent’s costs if the court to which appeal is made
determines that the appeal had no merit.
APPEAL IN FORMA PAUPERIS - A privilege given indigent persons to prosecute an appeal without payment of
fees and costs associated with the appeal.
APPEARANCE - Coming into court as a party to a suit, as defendant or plaintiff, by actual appearance or by a
pleading; submitting to the court’s jurisdiction.
APPELLANT - The party initiating the appeal; the party who makes an appeal from one court or jurisdiction to
another.
APPELLEE - The party in a cause in which the other party has appealed; the party against whom appeal is taken.
APPOINTMENT - The selection of a person to fill an office or perform specific functions; the selection is made by
a person with authority to do so.
APPROPRIATE - To take possession of something which does not belong to you without the permission of the
owner; in criminal law - theft.
ARRAIGNMENT - The procedure in which the defendant is brought before the court, identified (called by name),
informed of the charge (the complaint is read to the defendant), and required to enter a plea.
ARRAY - The entire group of persons summoned to serve as jurors; the final trial jury is selected from the array.
ARREARS; ARREARAGES - Money overdue and unpaid.
ARREST - To take a person into custody for the purpose of detaining the person to answer a criminal charge or
civil demand.
ARREST WARRANT - A written order of the court, issued and signed by a magistrate, commanding a law
enforcement officer to arrest a person and bring that person before the magistrate.
ASSESS - To determine the value of something.
ASSIGN - To transfer ownership or rights to another.
ASSOCIATION - A group of people who have joined together for a specific purpose.
ATTACHMENT - The seizure of persons or property so that they will come under the custody and control of the
court; the process occurs by virtue of a writ, summons or other judicial order.
ATTACHMENT BOND - Money substituted for attached property to free the property; this money will be
available to the person who attached the property to pay the claim if that person wins in court.
ATTEST - To bear witness to a fact; to verify, certify or affirm.
ATTESTATION - The act of witnessing the actual making of a document (execution) and subscribing to it (signing
one’s name as witness to its execution).
AUCTION - Public sales of property to the highest bidder by a person licensed and authorized to do so. Sale is
made to the highest bidder.
AUTHENTICATION - Establishing that a writing is genuine; the process of establishing that an item of evidence is
what the party wishing to offer it says it is; authentication gives legal certification to a statute, record, or other
instrument (or certified copy) so that it is admissible as evidence.
AUTOPSY - Examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death; a post mortem examination.
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BAIL - In a criminal case, security (money or property) presented to the court to ensure a defendant’s
appearance in court on the charge brought against the defendant.
BAIL BOND - A surety bond or contract in which a third party guarantees that the defendant will appear in court
at the designated times and that it will pay the amount of the bond if the defendant does not appear as
directed.
BAILMENT - The delivery of personal property to someone under an express or implied contract to be held and
then redelivered to the original owner when the purpose of the contract is fulfilled; storing furniture in a
warehouse is a bailment.
BENCH WARRANT - Process issued by the court, itself (from the bench), for the arrest or attachment of a
person.
BEST EVIDENCE - The most reliable proof of a fact that is available; original evidence; the kind of evidence that
provides the greatest certainty of the facts in question under every possible circumstance; the testimony of a
person who knows about the fact; an original of a written document.
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT - The standard of proof necessary in a criminal case; the factfinder must be
convinced to a moral certainty. See Trial Handbook pg. 58 (8th ed. 2008)
BILL OF ATTAINDER - (Constitutional Law) A legislative act which pronounces a person or member of some
group guilty of a crime without benefit of judicial proceedings.
BILL OF REVIEW - An equitable remedy which requests the court to reconsider a decision (usually a default
judgment) after the time period for appeal or motion for a new trial has passed.
BONA FIDE (Latin) - In good faith.
BOND - A written instrument requiring a party to pay a sum fixed as a penalty if the party does not perform
actions specified in the document.
BOND FORFEITURE - A suit, initiated in the name of the state, to recover from the defendant or sureties a bond
because the defendant violated conditions of the bond.
BOND FOR OFFICE - A bond given by a public officer as security that the officer will perform all the duties of the
office well and faithfully.
BREACH - Breaking or violating some law or obligation (as in a contract).
BRIBERY - Offering, giving, receiving or soliciting anything of value to influence any action by a public official in
relation to the official’s public duties.
BRIEF - A written statement or argument prepared by counsel concerning a case in court; a brief is filed with the
court and contains points of law, arguments, and authorities upon which the arguments are based.
BURDEN OF PROOF - The duty of a specific party to prove facts in dispute in an issue between parties in a suit.
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CANON - A law, rule, or ordinance; criterion.
CAPACITY - The legal ability or competency to do something; the ability to understand the consequences of
one’s actions.
CAPIAS (Latin) - A writ that requires a peace officer to take a person into custody.
CAPIAS PRO FINE (Latin) - A writ of execution for a fine; this type of writ orders a peace officer to take a
defendant into custody, to bring defendant before the court for a show cause hearing, then to hold defendant
until the defendant pays a fine and court costs or serves out the fine as specified.
CAPITAL CASE - A case in which the death penalty is a possible punishment.
CARTEL - A group of producers of a product who join together to control production, sale, and price of a product
in order to achieve a monopoly with respect to that product.
CASE-IN-CHIEF - The part of the trial in which the party with the initial burden of proof presents the party’s
evidence and then rests; witnesses are presented for direct examination rather than rebuttal or argument.
CASH BOND - A type of appearance bond in which the defendant deposits money with the court to guarantee
appearance rather than having other parties (sureties) sign a bond.
CAUSE OF ACTION - The facts that give a person the right to judicial relief; the basis of a law suit.
CERTIFICATE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT - A written document in which a notary or otherwise authorized official
certifies that the parties who signed an instrument appeared before the official on a specific date and
acknowledged that the instrument is a free and voluntary act and deed; this certificate of acknowledgment is
attached to the instrument to which it refers.
CERTIFIED CHECK - A check whose payment will be guaranteed by the bank on which it is drawn.
CERTIORARI (Latin) - “To be informed of”; the name of a writ of review or inquiry; a proceeding in which an
appellate court reviews the action of a lower court.
Cf - An abbreviated form of the Latin word confer (meaning “compare”); a “signal” used in legal footnotes
directing the reader’s attention to another part of the work (to another volume, case, etc.) where contrasted,
similar, or explanatory views or statements may be found.
CHALLENGE FOR CAUSE - A challenge to a juror during voir dire examination raising a matter which disqualifies
the person from serving as a juror in a particular case.
CHANGE OF VENUE - The transfer of a case either from one precinct and county to another precinct and county;
or there may be a transfer within the same county to another precinct.
CHARGE (to the jury) - The instructions given to a jury regarding the applicable law in a case which the jurors
must apply to the facts of the case, as they determine them, in order to reach a verdict. Justices of the peace do
not “charge the jury” in civil cases, but they do in criminal.
CHATTEL - An article of personal property as distinguished from real property.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE - Proof of facts which indirectly, logically, and rationally lead to a conclusion
regarding the ultimate fact to be proved. For example, A is charged with assaulting B. No one saw A strike B, but
C testifies that C saw A run from the scene of the assault. C’s testimony is circumstantial evidence (should lead
toward a conclusion that A assaulted B).
CITATION - is the court-issued document required to be served upon a party to inform the party that it has been
sued.
CITATION OF AUTHORITIES - The reading, production of, or reference to legal authorities and precedents (such
as constitutions, statutes, reported cases, and treatises), in arguments to court, in legal textbooks, law review
articles, briefs, motions, and other legal writing to substantiate or fortify the propositions advanced.
CIVIL - The body of law setting forth individual rights and duties, governing property and ownership interests,
establishing a system of government, and embodying the laws of a society. Compare with criminal law.
CLAIM - is the legal theory and alleged facts that, if proven, entitle a party to relief against another party in
court.
CLAIMANT - One who asserts a right, legal demand, or claim.
CLASS ACTION - An action brought by a small, representative number of plaintiffs in a situation where many
more people are similarly involved and injured, to include all the persons so involved in the final outcome or
decision.
CLEAR TITLE - A title to property that is free of encumbrance, obstruction, burden, or limitation; a marketable
title.
CLERK - is a person designated by the judge as a justice court clerk, or the judge if there is no clerk available.
CLOSING ARGUMENT - The final statements by the parties, or their attorneys, to the jury or court, summarizing
the evidence that they think they have established and that the other party has failed to establish during the
trial.
CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - A collection of laws containing the procedures to be used in all criminal cases.
COMMISSIONERS COURT - The governing body of officers of a county charged with a variety of executive duties;
the county judge presides over the commissioners court.
COMMON LAW MARRIAGE - A non-ceremonial marriage created by agreement of the parties and followed by
co-habitation; the parties must have the legal capacity to be married, agree to be married, live together as
husband and wife, and present themselves to others as husband and wife.
COMMUNITY PROPERTY - Property owned in common by husband and wife each having an undivided one-half
interest by reason of their marital status. Nine states have community property systems: Texas, Arizona,
California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington, and Wisconsin.
COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE - The measurement of negligence by percentage; in tort, a determination of
liability by comparing each party’s negligence as it contributed to the damages. See proportionate responsibility.
COMPENSATORY DAMAGES - Payment or restitution to compensate an injured party for the injury sustained and nothing more; the actual value of the injury (including lost wages).
COMPLAINT - An affidavit or sworn statement made before the court which charges the commission of an
offense within the jurisdiction of the court.
COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM - A counterclaim which must be asserted because it is logically related to the
original claim and arises out of the same subject matter on which the original claim is based.
COMPULSORY PROCESS - Compelling the attendance of a person in court through subpoena, arrest warrant,
attachment, or other process.
CONSANGUINITY - Blood relationship; the connection or the relationship of persons descended from a common
ancestor.
CONSERVATOR - A guardian; someone appointed by the court to: manage the affairs of an incompetent person;
liquidate a business; etc.
CONSPIRATOR - One who joins or agrees to join with at least one other person for the purpose of committing
some unlawful or criminal act. See accomplice.
CONSTITUTION - The fundamental law of a nation or state that establishes the branches and powers of the
government and the basic principles for regulation of society.
CONTEMPT - A willful disregard of public authority.
CONTEMPT (OF COURT) - An act intended to embarrass, hinder, or obstruct the court in the administration of
justice or intended to lessen the court’s authority or dignity.
CONTEMPT (CONSTRUCTIVE) - A willful disregard or disobedience of the court occurring outside the court's
presence, (such as disobeying a court order); notice and hearing are required before person is held in
constructive contempt.
CONTEMPT (DIRECT) - A willful disregard or disobedience of the court committed in the immediate view and
presence of the court, or so near the presence of the court as to interrupt the orderly course of proceedings.
CONTINUANCE - The adjournment or postponement of an action pending in court, to a later date, usually done
upon motion of a party to the action.
CONTRA - Against; opposite to; on the contrary.
CONTRACT - An oral or written agreement between two or more parties whereby one party makes an offer
which is accepted by another party and all parties mutually agree on the terms and obligations.
CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE - An act or omission amounting to lack of ordinary care on the part of the
complaining party, which, concurring with defendant's negligence, is proximate cause of injury. See
proportionate responsibility.
CONTROVERSY, AMOUNT IN - The amount claimed or sued for; part of subject matter jurisdiction of a court.
CONTROVERTING PLEAS - A pleading filed by one party in response to a pleading of the other party, which
denies the truth of the other party's pleadings.
CONVERSION - The unauthorized act of appropriating personal property of another for the person’s own
beneficial use and enjoyment; in criminal law, an act of theft.
CONVEYANCE - A transfer of legal title to land; in criminal law, a vehicle.
CONVICTION - The result of a criminal trial which ends in a judgment that the person is guilty as charged.
CORPORATE SURETY - A corporation authorized by law to answer for the default of a principal should the
principal fail to perform an agreement (usually in relation to a bail bond).
CORPORATION - A legal entity created under the authority of law that exists separate and distinct from its
members.
CORROBORATE - To add weight or credibility to a thing by additional and confirming facts or evidence.
COUNTERCLAIM - is a claim brought by a party who has been sued against the party who filed the lawsuit, for
example, a defendant suing a plaintiff.
COUNTY - The largest territorial division of a local government within the State that derives its authority by
specific grants from the State.
COURT COSTS - Fees and charges required by law to be paid to the courts or some of the court’s officers, the
amount of court costs is fixed by law.
COURT OF RECORD - A court whose proceedings are recorded by a court reporter; justice courts are not courts
of record; county and district courts are courts of record; appeals from a court of record are upon the record
made at trial. See de novo.
CREDIBLE PERSON - One who is competent to testify and worthy of belief.
CREDITOR - A person to whom a debt is owed by another (a debtor); a person may be a creditor by contract or
by judgment of the court.
CRIMINAL CASE - An action, suit, or cause initiated to punish an infraction of the criminal laws.
CROSS CLAIM - is a claim brought by one party against another party on the same side of a lawsuit. For example,
if a plaintiff sues two defendants, the defendants can seek relief against each other by means of a cross-claim.
CROSS-EXAMINATION - The examination of a witness by the party opposed to the one who produced the
witness.
CUMULATIVE – When referring to remedies in civil suits, cumulative means “in addition to” other possible
remedies; not an exclusive remedy but one of several.
CUMULATIVE EVIDENCE - Evidence which goes to prove what has already been established by other evidence;
additional or corroborative evidence.
CURRENT WAGES - Wages paid periodically or as the services are rendered or the work is performed; not
including past-due wages; wages for the current pay-period.
CURTILAGE - Any land immediately surrounding a dwelling house and including the nearby buildings used for
domestic purposes; this land may or may not be enclosed.
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DAMAGES - Compensation in money for injury, loss, or damage to person, property, or rights through the
unlawful act, omission or negligence of another.
DEBT - A sum of money due by certain and express agreement.
DEBTOR - One who owes a debt; a borrower.
DECEDENT - A dead person; deceased.
DECLARATION AGAINST INTEREST - A statement which conflicts with the pecuniary or property interest of the
person making the statement; admissible as evidence as an exception to hearsay if the statement was against
the interest of the person making it at the time it was made.
DECLARATORY JUDGMENT - A binding adjudication of rights where the plaintiff is in doubt about legal rights in a
situation; no coercive relief (such as damages or injunction) is granted.
DECORUM - An observance of correct judicial procedure and custom.
DEED - A conveyance of real property; a writing signed by the grantor, whereby title to the real property is
transferred from one to another.
DEED OF TRUST - An instrument placing legal title to real property with a trustee to secure the repayment of
money; a deed of trust serves the function of a mortgage.
DE FACTO (Latin) – Actual; existing in fact; having effect even though not formally enacted; compare with "de
jure."
DEFAULT - The omission or failure to perform a legal duty; when a defendant in a lawsuit omits to answer a
lawsuit within the time allowed, or fails to appear at trial, the defendant is said "to make default."
DEFAULT JUDGMENT - is a judgment awarded to a plaintiff when the defendant fails to answer and dispute the
plaintiff s claims in the lawsuit.
DEFECTIVE - Lacking in some particular that is essential to completeness, safety or legal sufficiency.
DEFERRED DISPOSITION - A punishment alternative similar to probation whereby a guilty criminal defendant is
required to live under certain conditions imposed by the court, and no final judgment is ever entered unless the
terms of deferred disposition are not completed.
DE JURE (Latin) – Existing; in accordance with the law; compare to "de facto."
DELIVERY BOND - A bond given upon the seizure of goods conditioned for their restoration to the defendant, or
the payment of their value, if so adjudged.
DEMAND - The assertion of a legal right.
DEMONSTRATIVE EVIDENCE - Evidence addressed directly to the senses without intervention of testimony;
physical evidence; evidence such as a gun, map, photograph.
DENIAL - In civil cases a defense pleading denying the allegations of the plaintiff's petition and putting in issue all
the allegations made in the complaint or petition; usually called "a general denial."
DE NOVO (Latin) – Anew; afresh; a second time; appeal from justice court is de novo.
DEPONENT - One who gives testimony under oath which is reduced to writing, such as a deposition.
DEPOSITION - The testimony of a witness taken, not in open court but usually before a trial; this testimony is
reduced to writing, duly authenticated, and intended to be used during the trial of the case. See discovery.
DETAINER - The act of withholding from a person lawfully entitled to the possession of land or goods; the
restraint of a person’s personal liberty against the person’s will.
DETERIORATION - (Of a commodity) A hurt or impairment, involving some degeneration in the substance of the
thing, such as that arising from decay, corrosion, or disintegration.
DICTA - Statements and comments of opinion by a judge or court concerning some rule of law or other issue not
essential to the determination of that specific case.
DILATORY - Tending or intended to cause delay, gain time, or put off a decision.
DILIGENCE - Persistent activity, prudence or care; due diligence is the degree of care which is properly expected
from a reasonable and prudent person under the particular circumstances.
DIRECT EVIDENCE - Proof which tends to show the existence of a fact in question without proof of any other
fact; proof of a fact by witnesses who saw the action committed or heard the words spoken.
DISCOVERY - is the process through which parties obtain information from each other in order to prepare for
trial or enforce a judgment. The term does not refer to any information that a party is entitled to under
applicable law.
DISCOVERY CONTROL PLAN – Description of what type of discovery plaintiff is seeking in a civil suit; required to
be filed in every suit filed in a Texas court.
DISCRETION - Power or privilege of the court to act according to the judge’s judgment, unhampered by legal
rule.
DISINTERESTED - Having nothing to gain or lose as a result of the transaction or proceeding; impartial, fair and
free of self-interest.
DISJUNCTIVE PLEADING - Statements in pleadings or complaints which express or charge a thing alternatively,
with the conjunction or.
DISMISSAL - An order or judgment disposing of a case by sending it out of court, without holding a trial on the
issue.
DISMISSAL WITHOUT PREJUDICE - means a case has been dismissed but has not been finally decided and may
be refiled.
DISMISSAL WITH PREJUDICE - means a case has been dismissed and finally decided and may not be refiled.
DISPARATE TREATMENT - Treating employees or applicants differently on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
age, national origin, or disability.
DISQUALIFICATION - The state of being ineligible or unfit; as a judge, by reason of having interest in a case, or a
juror by reason of holding a fixed, preconceived opinion.
DISQUALIFY - To divest or deprive of qualifications; to render ineligible or unfit.
DISSENT - The explicit disagreement of one or more judges of a court with the decision passed by the majority
upon a case before them.
DISTRAIN – To seize property. For example, a landlord seizes property of a tenant on the rental or leased
premises.
DISTRESS WARRANT - A writ authorizing an officer to make a seizure of goods or merchandise to hold for rent in
a commercial setting; it may be issued only by a justice of the peace regardless of amount of rent due.
DOCKET - A formal record of the courts in which all the acts done in court in the conduct of each case are
entered in a concise form, from its beginning to its conclusion.
DOCTRINE OF CARVING - The rule that out of a single transaction the State may carve out only one conviction; a
rule of jeopardy which is no longer followed in Texas.
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE - Evidence supported by writings and documents, as distinguished from oral
evidence.
DOMAIN - The complete and absolute ownership of land.
DOMICILE - A person’s fixed and permanent home to which the person intends to return if the person is ever
absent from it.
DOMICILE OF CORPORATION - Place considered by law as center of corporate affairs and place where its
functions are discharged.
DORMANT - Inactive; idle; applies to a judgment that can no longer be enforced.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY - A second prosecution for an offense after acquittal or conviction or multiple prosecutions
for the same offense; a Fifth Amendment guarantee enforceable against states through the Fourteenth
Amendment.
DUCES TECUM (Latin) - the name of a type of writ requiring a party to appear in court and bring some document
or other item to court so that it may be viewed and inspected by the court. See subpoena duces tecum.
DUE PROCESS OF LAW - An exercise of the powers of government in an orderly manner so that a person’s
individual rights are protected and laws are applied fairly.
DUPLICITOUS – Deceitful or double-dealing; an indictment that alleges two or more matters in one plea; double
pleading.
DURESS - Subjecting a person to unlawful or improper pressure so the person is forced to do some act that the
person otherwise would not have done.
DYING DECLARATION – In evidence, a statement by a person who is dying and knows that death is imminent
about (1) the way the person received the injuries causing the imminent death; (2) who inflicted those injuries;
or (3) the connection between the injuries and a person suspected of having caused those injuries.
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EASEMENT - A right to use the land of another for a special or limited purpose not inconsistent with the general
property rights of the owner.
ELEMENTS OF PROOF - (or elements of crime) In a criminal case, those factors or things the State must prove in
its case in order to obtain a conviction.
EMOLUMENT - Compensation for services or for an occupation.
ENCUMBRANCE - A claim, lien, or liability attached to and binding real or personal property; a mortgage,
judgment lien, and mechanic’s lien are examples of encumbrances.
ENTERING JUDGMENT - The formal entry by the court of the judgment on the official court records.
ENTRAPMENT - The act of law enforcement officers to induce a person to commit a crime not contemplated by
the person, for the purpose of instituting a criminal prosecution against the person.
EQUITABLE - Just, fair, and right.
EQUITABLE REMEDIES - Extraordinary relief available in limited circumstances, used to either force a person to
do an act which the person should do, or to refrain from doing an act which the person should not do;
injunctions, mandamus, and like remedies are equitable remedies which can be granted only by a district court.
ESCHEAT - A reversion of real and personal property to the State when there is no individual competent to
inherit the property; a court judgment is required for an escheat to take effect, although title vests immediately
by operation of law.
ESCROW - A writing, deed or sum of money delivered by the grantor, promisor or obligor into the hands of a
third person to be held until the performance of a condition, and then to be delivered to the grantee, promisee
or obligee.
ESTOPPEL – A party is prevented by the party’s own acts from claiming a right to the detriment of another party
who was entitled to rely on the conduct and acted accordingly; usually an affirmative defense that must be pled.
ET AL – An abbreviation for et alia, which literally means “and others”. Commonly used in shortening the name
of a case.
ET SEQ (Latin) - Meaning “and the following (one or ones).”
ET UX (Latin) - Literally, “and wife.” Used to show that the wife, as well as the husband, also owns the property
or is a party to the suit. Modern concepts of community property and equality have rendered this phrase an
anachronism.
EX REL (Latin) - Upon relation or information.
EVICTION - The process of depriving a person of possession of land or rental property which the person has held
or leased but no longer has the right to possess.
EVIDENCE - Testimony, writings, objects, or other things offered to prove the existence or non-existence of a
fact.
EVIDENCE (RELEVANT) - Evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence
to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. [Rule
401, T.R.E.]
EXAMINING TRIAL - An examination conducted by a magistrate for the purpose of inquiring into a criminal
accusation against a defendant to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of guilt to justify further
proceedings against the accused.
EXCHANGING BENCHES - The hearing of a matter by a judge in a court, other than the judge’s own; usually due
to the disqualification of the judge of the court where the matter is filed.
EXCLUSIONARY RULE - The rule which prohibits introduction into evidence of matters or material obtained in
violation of search and seizure protection guaranteed by the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
EXCULPATORY - That which tends to clear a person from alleged fault or guilt (as in exculpatory evidence).
EXECUTE - To complete; to make; to perform.
EXECUTION OF JUDGMENT OR DECREE - Putting into effect the final judgment of the court.
EXECUTION SALE - A sale by a sheriff or other ministerial officer under the authority of a writ of execution which
has been levied on property of the debtor.
EXECUTOR - A person appointed by a testator to carry out the directions and requests in the testator’s will and
to dispose of the property according to the testator’s testamentary provisions after the testator’s death.
EXECUTORY - Yet to be executed or performed; remaining to be carried into operation or effect; dependent on a
future performance or event, as an executory contract. Compare with performance.
EXEMPT PROPERTY - Property specified by statute which may not be seized or sold to satisfy an execution or
attachment.
EXHIBIT - A paper, document, or some other piece of evidence produced and exhibited to a court during a trial
or hearing in proof of facts and which is accepted into evidence, marked for identification, and made a part of
the case.
EX OFFICIO (Latin) - From office; by virtue of the office; without any appointment other than that resulting from
the holding of a particular office; e.g., the mayor of some small towns serves as an ex officio judge.
EX OFFICIO NOTARY PUBLIC - By virtue of holding the office of justice of the peace, the judge is a notary public.
EX PARTE (Latin) - On one side only; done for, in behalf of, or on the application of, one party only; to discuss or
transact business with one party in the absence of the opposite party to a case.
EXPERT WITNESS - One who is skilled in some art, science, trade, profession or other human activity, and
possesses knowledge obtained from education or experience not acquired by ordinary persons, who, upon
being qualified, may testify as to the person’s opinion of matters within the person’s area of expertise.
EX POST FACTO (Latin) - After the fact; by an act of fact occurring after some previous act or fact, and relating
thereto; a law passed after such occurrence of a fact which retroactively changes the legal consequences of the
act.
EXPUNCTION – The act of erasing or eliminating for the record; to expunge.
EXPUNGE - To blot out; to strike out wholly; to annul.
EX REL (Latin)- Upon relation or information, e.g., a lawsuit initiated by the attorney general in the name and on
behalf of the State, but at the instigation of an individual who has a private interest in the matter is said to be ex
rel of the person.
EXTRADITION - The surrender by one state of an individual accused or convicted of an offense outside the
territorial jurisdiction of that state and within the territorial jurisdiction of the other state; the other state may
try and punish the person only if the person is extradited.
EXTRAJUDICIAL - Something done outside the course of regular judicial proceedings; unconnected with an
action in a court of law; done outside of court.
EXTRANEOUS OFFENSE - In criminal law, an offense other than the one for which the defendant is on trial.
EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE - Evidence which is not contained in the body of an agreement, contract, or similar
documents; evidence not legitimately before the court.
Ff____________________________________________
FACE AMOUNT - The amount shown on a document or contract; excludes any interest.
FACSIMILE - An exact copy, preserving all the marks of the original.
FAIR MARKET VALUE - The present market value; the price which a seller, willing but not compelled to sell,
would take and a buyer, willing but not compelled to buy, would pay.
FATAL VARIANCE - A difference between the facts alleged in an indictment and those proved at trial which
would tend to mislead the defendant in preparing or making a defense.
FEE SALARY SYSTEM - An illegal means of compensating a judge whereby the judge receives a fixed amount per
case or a percentage of the fines and/or other court costs assessed defendants.
FELONY - An offense so designated by law, and punishable by death or confinement in the penitentiary.
FIDUCIARY - A person holding the character of a trustee, when the business transacted or the money or
property handled is not the person’s own or for the person’s own benefit but for the benefit of another; a
position of trust and loyalty.
FINAL HEARING - The stage of the proceedings relating to the determination of a lawsuit upon its merits as
distinguished from those of preliminary questions.
FINE - A monetary penalty; to sentence a person convicted of an offense to pay a penalty in money.
FORCED SALE - A sale, against the consent of the owner made at the time and in the manner prescribed by law,
in virtue of execution issued on a judgment already rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
FORCIBLE DETAINER – Terminology repealed. See Eviction.
FORCIBLE ENTRY AND DETAINER - Terminology repealed. See Eviction.
FORECLOSURE - The statutory method of enforcing payment of a debt secured by a mortgage or lien on
property, by taking and selling the property.
FORECLOSURE SALE - A sale of mortgaged or otherwise encumbered property to obtain satisfaction of the
mortgage or lien out of the proceeds.
FORENSIC - Having to do with jurisprudence; belonging to courts of justice.
FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST - A physician whose duty it is to make a legal determination of the cause of death.
FORFEITURE OF BOND - A judgment ordering payment of an obligation covered in a bond due to failure of the
person named in the bond (principal) to perform the conditions of the bond.
FOUR CORNERS (Within the) -That which is contained in an instrument and nothing more; to look at the four
corners of an instrument (as a contact) is to look at the instrument alone and not consider any outside
information.
FUGITIVE - One who flees from some duty, penalty or consequence of a misdeed.
Gg___________________________________________
GARNISHEE - One who possesses money or property belonging to a defendant or who owes a debt to the
defendant and the money, property or debt is attached so that it is not paid to the defendant but held for the
benefit of a third party (usually, a plaintiff).
GARNISHMENT - A statutory proceeding whereby a person's property, money, or credits in possession or under
control of or owing by another, are applied to payment of the person’s debt to a third party by proper process
against debtor and garnishee.
GIVE NOTICE - To communicate to another, in any proper or permissible legal manner, information or warning
of an existing fact or state of facts or of some intended future action, such as the holding of a hearing.
GOOD FAITH - Honesty of intention; sincerity.
GUARDIAN AD LITEM - A person appointed by the court to represent a minor, an incompetent person or any
other person entitled to such protection by law.
GUILTY - A plea by which a defendant confesses to the crime with which the defendant is charged, or a verdict
by which a defendant is convicted of a crime.
Hh___________________________________________
HABEAS CORPUS (Latin) - A variety of writs used to bring a party before the court or judge to determine if the
party is being unlawfully imprisoned or restrained of liberty.
HABITABILITY - The condition of the premises that permits an inhabitant to live free of serious defects that
endanger health and safety.
HABITUAL TRAFFIC VIOLATOR - Any person with four or more convictions arising out of different transactions in
a consecutive twelve-month period, or seven or more convictions arising out of different transactions within a
twenty-four month period, such convictions being for moving violations of the traffic laws of the State of Texas
or any political subdivision or if licensee is holder of provisional license.
HEARSAY - Evidence given in court by a witness which is not based upon personal knowledge but is merely a
repetition of what the witness has heard others say; second-hand information. Written materials may also be
hearsay if offered in court by a witness who did not write or otherwise create the instrument.
HOLD HARMLESS - To assume any liability in a situation or transaction and thereby relieve another party from
responsibility in the transaction.
HOSTILE WITNESS - A witness who manifests so much hostility or prejudice under examination in chief that the
party who has called the party is allowed to cross-examine the witness (ask the witness leading questions); a
witness unfriendly to the cause of the party who calls the person to testify.
HUNG JURY - A jury so irreconcilably divided in opinion that they cannot agree upon a verdict.
HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION - A question asked of an expert witness in which the expert is asked to give an
opinion about specific issues or conditions as if those issues or conditions were facts.
Ii____________________________________________
Id (Latin, abbreviation of idem) the same; the same as the reference just cited before.
IMPANEL - The act of the clerk of the court in making up a list of the jurors who have been selected for a
particular trial.
IMPEACHMENT - (of a witness) The presentation of evidence for the purpose of calling into question the
truthfulness of a witness and to prove that the witness is unworthy of belief.
IMPLIED WARRANTY - A warranty derived by implication or inference from the nature of the transaction or the
relative circumstances of the parties. A warranty based on the apparent intentions of the parties during a
transaction; it is inferred from the transaction rather than stated directly.
IN CAMERA (Latin) - In private or in secret; done in chambers rather than before the jury in open court.
INCOMPETENCY - Lack of ability, legal qualification, or fitness to discharge the required duty; incapable of
comprehending the nature or consequences of a proceeding.
INCRIMINATE - To charge with a crime or accuse another of a crime; to expose oneself to being accused of a
crime.
INCULPATORY - Tending to establish guilt.
INDEMNIFY - To secure against loss or damage; to give security for the reimbursement of a person in case of an
anticipated loss falling upon the person.
INDEMNITY BOND - A bond for payment of a specific sum by one person to a second person for a loss suffered
by the second person because of the behavior of the first person or a specified third party.
INDICTMENT - An accusation in writing found and presented by a grand jury to the court in which it is
impaneled, charging that a named person has done some act which is an offense against the law.
INDIGENT - Poor; an individual who is too poor to retain an attorney to represent the individual and too poor to
pay court costs.
INDIRECT EVIDENCE - Evidence which tends to support a fact only if taken into consideration with other pieces
of information. It consists of both inference and presumptions; circumstantial evidence.
INFORMATION - A formal accusation of crime, differing from an indictment only in that it is presented by a
competent public officer instead of by a grand jury.
INFRA (Latin) - Below, beneath, within.
INJUNCTION - A court order prohibiting someone from doing some specific action or requiring that a person
take action to undo some wrong.
IN LIMINE (Latin) - At the beginning; preliminary; a motion to exclude evidence which is anticipated to be
prejudicial.
INQUEST - An investigation conducted by a magistrate or medical examiner to determine the cause of death and
whether anyone is responsible for the death of another.
IN RE (Latin) - In the matter of; concerning.
INTEREST - Any right in the nature of property; a charge for the use of money.
INTERLOCUTORY - Provisional, temporary, not final.
INTERPLEADER - A procedure to determine the rights of parties to property held by another party who has no
interest in the property.
INTERROGATORIES - Written questions propounded by one party and served on the adversary, who must serve
written answers to the questions under oath. See "discovery."
INTER VIVOS (Latin) - From one living person to another; a type of trust fund.
INTESTATE - To die without making a will.
INTRINSIC EVIDENCE - Evidence elicited by examination of a witness who is testifying.
INVITEE - One who is present at a specific place because of the express or implied invitation of another;
sometimes, the same as guest.
INVOKING “THE RULE” – On motion from either party or the court, witnesses on both sides swear an oath, and
are removed from the courtroom to a place where they cannot hear the testimony of any other witness.
IPSO FACTO (Latin)- By the fact itself; by the mere fact.
Jj____________________________________________
JOINDER - Can refer to issues, offenses, parties, or claims; combining two or more transactions or proceedings
into one transaction or proceeding.
JOINT STOCK COMPANY - A partnership where the capital is divided into shares so it can be transferred without
the express consent of the co-partners; a business having characteristics of both a corporation and a
partnership.
JUDGMENT - is a final order by the court that states the relief, if any, a party is entitled to or must provide.
JUDGMENT CREDITOR - One who has obtained a judgment against the person’s debtor, under which the person
can enforce execution.
JUDGMENT N.O.V. - Judgment notwithstanding the verdict; a judgment of the court that is opposite to the
verdict reached by the jury because there was insufficient evidence to support the verdict, as a matter of law.
JUDGMENT PROOF - Describes a person who has no available resources out of which a judgment can be
satisfied.
JUDICIAL NOTICE - The official recognition of certain facts which a judge may properly take and act upon
without hearing evidence because the facts are generally known in the territorial jurisdiction of the court or
capable of accurate determination through reliable sources.
JURAT - The clause written at the foot of an affidavit, stating when, where, and before whom such affidavit was
sworn.
JURISDICTION - is the authority of the court to hear and decide a case.
JURISDICTIONAL AMOUNT - The money amount involved in the particular case or dispute by which the
jurisdiction of the court to determine the case is measured; part of “subject matter” jurisdiction.
JURISPRUDENCE - The philosophy of law; the science which determines principles upon which legal rules are
based.
JURY - A certain number of individuals, selected according to law, and sworn to inquire of certain matters of
fact, and declare the truth upon evidence laid before them.
JURY PANEL - A group of prospective jurors who are summoned to appear on a stated day and from which a jury
is chosen.
JUVENILE - A person who has not reached the age at which the person is treated as an adult for the purposes of
criminal law; any person under 17 years of age and over the age of 10.
Ll____________________________________________
LACHES - A delay in seeking relief due to neglect that makes it inequitable to accord the relief sought.
LEADING QUESTION - A question which suggests the desired answer.
LEASE - A contract for exclusive possession of land or buildings for a specific period.
LEGISLATIVE CONTINUANCE - The mandatory postponement of proceedings in a cause required when the
attorney for a party is a member of the legislature and requests such continuance within the time limits
prescribed by law.
LESSEE - A person to whom a lease is given.
LESSOR - A person who gives a lease.
LEVY - To assess; raise; execute; exact; collect; gather; as a tax.
LIABLE - Obligated by law or equity.
LIABILITY - Being responsible for actual or possible loss.
LICENSED ATTORNEY - An attorney who has been admitted by the Supreme Court of Texas to the practice of law
and who is a current member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas.
LIEN - A charge, security, or encumbrance upon property.
LIEU (French)-Place or room; "in lieu" means instead of.
LIQUIDATE - To gather assets, convert them into cash, and distribute them according to the legal rights of the
interested parties.
LIQUIDATED CLAIM - A claim which amount has been agreed upon by the parties, has been fixed by operation of
law, or is capable of determination by mathematical computation.
LIS PENDENS (Latin) - A pending suit; notice of the pendency of an action affecting title to real property.
LONG ARM STATUTE - Legal method to acquire jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant by substituted
service.
Mm__________________________________________
MAGISTRATE - A civil public officer invested with powers and functions which may be judicial, executive, or
legislative in nature; a justice of the peace is a magistrate, as are most judges.
MAGISTRATE'S WARNING - A warning given by the magistrate to an accused informing the accused of the
accused’s legal rights.
MALICE - The intentional doing of a wrongful act without just cause or excuse, with an intent to inflict injury or
under circumstances that the law will imply an evil intent.
MANDAMUS - An order from a court to compel a public official to perform a mandatory duty or ministerial act.
MARRIAGE CEREMONY - The rite, religious or civil, for the solemnization of a marriage.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE - An unofficial instrument which certifies a marriage, and is executed by the person
officiating at the marriage.
MARRIAGE LICENSE - Permission by public authority to persons who intend to marry, addressed to anyone
authorized to solemnize marriages.
MATTER IN CONTROVERSY (or DISPUTE) - The subject of litigation.
MECHANIC'S LIEN - A claim created by law for the purpose of securing priority of payment of the value of work
performed and materials furnished in erecting or repairing buildings or improvements on land, or certain
mechanical repairs.
MENS REA (Latin)-A guilty mind; a criminal intent; culpable mental state.
MISDEMEANOR - An offense so designated by law punishable by fine, by confinement in jail, or by both a fine
and confinement in jail.
MISTRIAL - A trial of an action which cannot stand because of a disregard of some fundamental requisite; the
termination of a trial prior to a final determination of the merits.
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES - Circumstances surrounding the commission of an act, which in fairness can be
considered as extenuating or reducing the severity or degree of moral culpability of the act, but not to excuse or
justify the act.
MITIGATION OF DAMAGES - A rule that an injured party has a duty to use reasonable diligence and ordinary
care in attempting to minimize the damages after an injury has been experienced.
MOOT - A nonexisting controversy where the issues that were in question no longer exist.
MORAL TURPITUDE - Conduct contrary to justice, honesty, modesty or good morals.
MORTGAGE - A contract by which a person binds the whole of the person’s property, or a portion of it, in favor
of another, to secure the execution of some obligation, but without losing possession.
MOTION - A request that the court make a specified ruling or order.
MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL - A request that the trial judge set aside the judgment and order a new trial because
the trial was improper or unfair due to specific prejudicial errors.
MOTOR VEHICLE - Every self-propelled device, in or by which any person or property may be transported or
drawn upon a public highway, except devices moved only by human power or on stationary rails.
MOVANT - One who makes a motion before a court.
MOVE - To make an application to a court to rule, order, or take action in a matter.
MUNIMENT – Documentary evidence of title.
Nn___________________________________________
NARRATIVE EVIDENCE - Testimony which is a descriptive account of a sequence of events given by a witness and
not in the usual question and answer form.
NECESSARY PARTY - A party that must be joined in an action who has an interest in the controversy such that a
final judgment cannot be made without the party.
NEGLIGENT ACT - An act in which a person fails to exercise that degree of reasonable care that would be
exercised by a person of ordinary prudence.
NEW TRIAL - The rehearing of a criminal or civil action, after the verdict, before the judge or another jury; the
effect of a new trial is to place the case in the same position in which it was before any trial had taken place.
NEWLY-DISCOVERED EVIDENCE - Testimony or evidence discovered after trial, and which was not discoverable
before trial by exercise of due diligence.
NEXT FRIEND - One acting for the benefit of a minor or any other person not able to act on one’s own behalf,
without being regularly appointed as a guardian.
NIHIL DICIT (Latin) JUDGMENT - the name of a judgment which may be taken against a defendant who does not
plead or answer the plaintiff’s complaint within the time specified by the court.
NISI (Latin) - Unless; a judgment which will be made final unless cause is shown to prohibit it.
NOLLE PROSEQUI (Latin) - A formal entry into the record by the prosecuting officer that prosecuting officer will
not prosecute the case further.
NOLO CONTENDERE (Latin) - A plea in criminal cases in which the defendant does not contest the charge against
the defendant; nolo contendere has the same legal effect as a guilty plea.
NON-RESIDENT - One who does not reside in a specified jurisdiction.
NOT GUILTY - A plea in which the defendant denies guilt, or a verdict in which the defendant is found innocent.
NOTARY PUBLIC - A public officer whose function is to administer oaths, certify documents, take affidavits, and
attest to the authenticity of signatures; a justice of the peace is an ex officio (by virtue of the office) notary
public.
NUNC PRO TUNC – (Latin) Now for then. A phrase applied to acts that may be done after the time when they
should be done, with a retroactive effect; it will have the same legal effect as if it was done at the proper time. It
is applied to correct a clerical error in a court’s judgment.
Oo___________________________________________
OATH - Any form of affirmation by which a person agrees to be is bound in conscience to perform an act
faithfully and truthfully.
OBLIGEE - The person in favor of whom some obligation is owed; the party to whom a bond is given.
OBLIGOR - The person who has engaged to perform some obligation.
OFFICER OF THE COURT - A term generally used to refer to any person connected with the operation of the
court, including bailiffs, peace officers, and attorneys.
OFFICIALLY ATTESTED - An acknowledgment of an individual acting in the individual’s official capacity bearing
witness to another's signature being affixed to a document.
OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT - Any unlawful behavior by a public officer in relation to the duties of the office, willful
in its character, including any willful failure, refusal, or neglect to perform any of the official duties.
OPEN COURT - A court to which the public has a right to be admitted; constitutional guarantee of access for
redress of grievances for any person.
OPENING STATEMENT OF COUNSEL - Statement made at beginning of party's case to advise the jury of facts
relied upon and of issues involved and to give the jury a general picture of the case so that they will understand
the evidence.
OPINION EVIDENCE - What a witness thinks, believes, or infers in regard to facts in dispute, as distinguished
from personal knowledge of the facts themselves.
ORAL - Spoken, not written.
ORDER - Every direction of a court or judge; a mandate or command.
OVERRULE - To refuse to sustain or recognize as sufficient an objection made in the course of a trial, as to the
introduction of particular evidence, etc.
Pp___________________________________________
PARENTAL CONSENT - The permission or acquiescence of a parent on behalf of a minor child who is legally
incompetent to personally consent.
PAROL - Oral or verbal; not written.
PAROL EVIDENCE - Oral or verbal evidence; that which is given by word of mouth.
PAROL EVIDENCE RULE - That rule which states oral evidence is not admissible to contradict or modify a written
instrument, unless such writing is ambiguous or affected by accident, fraud, duress, or mutual mistake.
PARTIES - The persons who are actively concerned in the prosecution and defense of any legal proceeding.
PARTNERSHIP - An association of two or more persons to carry on as co-owners of a business for profit.
PARTY - In criminal law, one who is criminally responsible for conduct either committed alone or by others and
for which the person is criminally responsible. See abet; accessory; accessory after the fact; accessory before the
fact. In civil law, a person or entity involved in the case that is either suing or being sued, including all plaintiffs,
defendants, and third parties that have been joined in the case.
PAUPER - A person who, because of poverty, is allowed to sue or defend a lawsuit without being charged with
costs.
PEACE BOND - A type of surety bond that must be provided by someone who has threatened to breach the
peace.
PECUNIARY - Monetary; relating to money.
PENAL CODE - The main body of law which defines offenses and prescribes penalties.
PER CURIAM (Latin) – By the court; used to describe an opinion written by the whole court not just one judge,
used in appellate opinions.
PEREMPTORY - Absolute; self-determined; arbitrary; not requiring any cause to be shown.
PEREMPTORY CHALLENGE - The right to challenge and remove a prospective juror without stating the reason.
PERFORMANCE - The fulfillment or accomplishment of a promise, contract, or other obligation.
PERISHABLE PROPERTY - Any product, like fruit or fresh vegetables, which quickly deteriorates in quality and
value.
PERJURY - Making a false statement under oath voluntarily, knowing that the statement is false.
PERSONAL BOND - The defendant's word or promise to appear in court to answer criminal charges;
recognizance bond.
PERSONAL PROPERTY - Articles associated with a person, as opposed to real property (land).
PETIT JURY - The ordinary jury of six or twelve individuals for the trial of a civil or criminal action, impaneled to
determine any question or issue of fact according to the law and evidence as given them in the court.
PETITION - is a formal written application stating a party's claims and requesting relief from the court. It is the
first document filed with the court to begin a lawsuit.
PLAINTIFF - is a party who sues, including a defendant who files a counterclaim.
PLEA - The answer which the defendant in a legal proceeding makes to the complaint against the defendant.
PLEADINGS - is a written document filed by a party, including a petition and an answer, that states a claim or
defense and outlines the relief sought.
POSSESSION - Having control over something with the intent to exercise that control.
POSSESSORY LIEN - A lien which provides that the creditor has the right to hold possession of the specific
property until satisfaction of the debt.
POST MORTEM - After death; a term generally applied to an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death, or to the
inquiry for that purpose by the coroner.
POSTPONEMENT - A continuance; a delay in proceedings.
POWER OF ATTORNEY - An instrument authorizing another to act as one's agent or attorney.
PRECEPT - An order or direction coming from a court or other authority to an officer or body of officers,
commanding the officer or officers to do some act within the scope of their powers; a rule which imposes a
standard of conduct.
PRECINCT - A small geographical subdivision of government within a county.
PREDICATE - The foundation for action.
PREJUDICE - A bias; a preconceived opinion.
PREJUDICIAL ERROR - Error substantially affecting a party's legal rights and obligations.
PRELIMINARY HEARING - A pretrial proceeding in which the court determines whether there is probable cause
to believe the accused committed a crime and should be held for trial.
PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE - The greater weight of the evidence; evidence which is more credible and
convincing to the mind; evidence which is more convincing than that presented in opposition to it; the standard
of proof in civil cases.
PRESUMPTION - An inference or conclusion in favor of a particular fact; often a statutory presumption, which
may be rebuttable.
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE - A conclusion drawn by law that in a criminal case a defendant should be
acquitted unless the defendant’s guilt is established by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
PRETRIAL REMEDIES - Orders or actions occurring prior to the actual determination of the merits of the case,
which are entered to protect the rights of a party or to preserve the status quo.
PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE - Evidence which is sufficient to prove a particular fact unless it is contradicted and
overcome by other evidence.
PRINCIPAL - CRIMINAL LAW: Chief perpetrator of a crime; CIVIL LAW: Someone who directs another (an agent)
to act in the person’s (principal’s) behalf.
PRINCIPAL OFFICE - Regarding a corporation, its headquarters or the place where the chief or principal affairs
and business of the corporation are transacted.
PROBABLE CAUSE - A reasonable ground to suspect that a person has committed a particular crime.
PROBATION - Allowing a person convicted of an offense to go free, under a suspension of sentence, during good
behavior and while under supervision.
PROBATIVE - Tending to prove, or actually proving.
PROCESS - (In criminal and civil law) any method used by the court to obtain or exercise jurisdiction over person
or property.
PROOF - The establishment of a fact by the presentation of evidence.
PROOF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT - Proof which is so certain that it prevents any other conclusion except
that which it supports; proof which is so certain that it is consistent with a defendant’s guilt and inconsistent
with any other conclusion. The standard of proof in a criminal case. See reasonable doubt.
PROPORTIONATE RESPONSIBILITY - The concept that a claimant may not recover damages if the claimant’s
percentage of responsibility in the cause of action (cause of action based on tort) is greater than 50%. See
Chapter 33, Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Compare with comparative negligence; contributory negligence.
PRO SE (Latin) - For self, on one’s own behalf; in person; one who does not retain a lawyer but, instead, appears
on one’s own behalf in court.
PROVE - To establish or make certain.
PROXIMATE CAUSE - Act or omission which was a substantial factor in producing an injury and if it had not been
for that act or omission, the injury would not have occurred; the act or omission must have occurred in a
continuous sequence without any intervening factor or cause.
PROXY - An agent representing and acting for the principal.
PRUDENCE - Good judgment; care; diligence.
PUBLICATION - The process of giving a summons as an advertisement in a newspaper, under the conditions
prescribed in the Rules of Civil Procedure, as a means of giving notice of the suit to a defendant upon whom
personal service cannot be made.
PUBLIC PLACE - Any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access and includes, but is
not limited to, streets, highways, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office
buildings, transport facilities, and shops.
PUBLIC PROPERTY - Real or personal property owned by the government, used to carry out its governmental
function for the benefit of the citizenry; a place where members of the general public have a right to be.
PUBLIC SERVANT - In law, an officer, employee, or agent of government; a juror or grand juror; an arbitrator,
referee, or like person authorized to determine controversies; an attorney or notary public performing a
governmental function; or a candidate for public office.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES - Damages awarded a plaintiff over and above the plaintiff’s actual loss to punish the
defendant for the actions which caused the loss; also called exemplary damages.
Qq___________________________________________
QUASH - To overthrow; to abate; to vacate; to annul; to make void.
QUID PRO QUO (Latin) - Something for something; the giving of one valuable thing for another.
QUO WARRANTO (Latin) - An extraordinary proceeding, intended to prevent a continued exercise of authority
unlawfully asserted.
Rr____________________________________________
REAL - Relating to land as distinguished from personal property.
REAL PROPERTY - Land and generally whatever is built, growing upon, or affixed to it.
REASONABLE DOUBT - Such a doubt as would make a reasonable person hesitate to act in the most important
of his own affairs.
REBUTTAL - The stage of a trial at which evidence is introduced showing that statements of witnesses as to what
occurred are not true or complete; evidence which counters or offsets the direct evidence. See Trial Handbook.
RECEIVERSHIP - A remedy in which a neutral party is appointed by the court to receive and preserve the
property or funds subject to litigation during the pendency of litigation.
RECESS - A short interval or period of time during which the court suspends business but does not adjourn.
RECOGNIZANCE - An obligation of record, entered into before some court or magistrate authorized to take it,
with a condition that a person will do some particular act, such as appear in court.
REGISTRAR - An officer who is in charge of keeping records.
REMEDY - The means by which a right is enforced or the violation of a right is prevented, redressed, or
compensated.
RENDER - To pronounce, state, declare, or announce in open court the judgment of the court in a given case.
RENT - Compensation paid for the use or occupation of property.
REPEAL - The annulling of a previously-existing law by the enactment of a subsequent statute which declares
that the former law shall be revoked, or which contains provisions so contrary to or irreconcilable with those of
the earlier law that only one of the two statutes can stand in force.
REPETITIOUS - Additional or corroborative evidence on the same point which tends to prove something that has
already been established by other evidence.
REPLEVIN - A personal action brought to recover possession of goods alleged to be wrongfully taken; where the
ultimate question is the right to possession of the property.
REPLEVIN BOND - A bond executed to indemnify the officer who executed a writ of replevin and to indemnify
the defendant or person from whose custody the property was taken for such damages as that person may
sustain because the property was taken.
REPLEVY - In reference to a replevin action, to redeliver goods which have been seized by an officer to the
original possessor of them, upon the original possessor’s giving security conditioned on prosecuting an action to
determine the legality of the seizure.
REPUGNANCY - An inconsistency, opposition or contrariety between two or more allegations of the same
pleading, or any two writings.
REPUTATION - The character imputed to a person in the neighborhood where the person lives.
REQUEST FOR ADMISSION - A formal method of discovery whereby written statements or opinions of fact are
served on the opposing party.
RES GESTAE (Latin) - Facts and circumstances which occur automatically or without design simultaneously or
almost simultaneously, thereby making them part of the incident itself; an exception to the hearsay rule.
RESIDENCE - The place where one actually lives, simply requiring a bodily presence.
RES JUDICATA (Latin) - A final judgment on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction which is conclusive of
the rights of the parties in later suits on matters determined in the first suit.
RESTITUTION - The restoration of something to its rightful owner; making good or giving an equivalent value for
any loss, damage or injury; compensation.
RETURN - The endorsement made by a sheriff or constable upon a writ or notice, stating what the officer has
done under it and the time and mode of service.
RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE - The body of law promulgated by the Texas Supreme Court to establish the
manner and means by which civil cases are conducted by the courts.
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SCIRE FACIAS (Latin) - A writ used to enforce the execution of some matter of record on which it is usually
founded. The purpose of the writ is to give notice to the defendant of an application for an award or execution.
The term “scire facias” is not only ascribed to the writ, but also to the whole proceeding; it shall conform to the
requisites of citations and the returns thereon, under provisions of the Rules of Civil Procedure.
SEAL - A particular sign or emblem applied to a document to attest, in the most formal manner, the execution of
an instrument.
SEARCH WARRANT - A written order issued by a magistrate and directed to a peace officer commanding the
officer to search for specified property at a specified place and to seize it and bring it before the magistrate.
SECURED CREDITOR - A creditor who holds some special pecuniary assurance of payment of a debt, such as a
mortgage or lien.
SELF-INCRIMINATION - The giving of evidence or answering of questions, the tendency of which would be to
subject one to criminal prosecution. As provided by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, criminal
defendants shall not be compelled to give evidence against themselves or testify before the court.
SELF-SERVING DECLARATION - Hearsay statement made by a party in the case which is favorable to the party.
SENTENCE - The judgment formally pronounced by the court or judge upon the defendant after conviction in a
criminal prosecution, awarding the punishment to be inflicted, and ordering that it be carried out.
SEQUESTER - To deposit a thing which is the subject of a controversy in the hands of a third person, to hold for
the contending parties.
SEQUESTRATION - A deposit which two or more persons engaged in litigation make of the thing in contest with
a third party who promises to return it, when the issue is resolved, to the party to whom it is adjudged to
belong.
SERVICE - The delivery of a writ, notice, injunction, etc., by an authorized person, to a person who is thereby
officially notified of some proceeding concerning that person. In civil law specifically, are delivery of citation as
required by Rule 501.2, or of a document as required by Rule 501.4.
SHALL - As used in statutes, this word is generally imperative or mandatory.
SINE DIE (Latin) - Without day. Final adjournment; as in the Legislature, which at the end of a legislative session
adjourns sine die.
SPEEDY TRIAL ACT - Statutory law designed to assure constitutional right to speedy trial in criminal cases, which
embodies mandatory time limits within which State must be ready for trial, and providing exceptions. See Art.
32A.02, V.A.C.C.P.; (portions of this article were declared unconstitutional in Meshell v. State, 739 S.W. 2d 246
(Tex. Crim. App. 1987).
STATUTE - A law enacted by the legislature.
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS - A statute declaring that no suit shall be maintained on certain causes of action
unless brought within a specified period after the right accrued.
STATUTORY LAW - The law created or defined by legislative act.
STIPULATION - The name given to any agreement made by the attorneys or parties on opposite sides of a cause,
regulating any matter incidental to the proceedings or trial, which falls within their jurisdiction; usually, pertains
to evidentiary matters.
SUA SPONTE (Latin) – Of its own will or notion; voluntarily.
SUBPOENA - Process initiated by a party commanding a witness to appear and give testimony, at a specified
place and time to testify for the party named therein.
SUBPOENA DUCES TECUM (Latin) - A subpoena that directs a witness to bring to court and produce certain
documents or other things desired as evidence in a judicial proceeding.
SUBROGATION - The substitution of a third party in place of the party having the claim, demand, or right against
another party.
SUBSTITUTED SERVICE - Service of process in a method other than personal service (such as by certified mail or
by publication).
SUMMONS - An order to a person to appear in court on a specific date to answer a case filed against the person;
it is a method by which the court acquires jurisdiction over a party. Compare with Citation.
SUPERSEDEAS (Latin) - The name of a writ containing a command to stay the proceedings at law or suspend a
judgment or execution; also the name o the bond upon which the writ issues.
SURETY - One who promises to answer for the debt or default of another.
SURETY BOND - A bond taken out by a surety who agrees to pay a sum of money in the event that the principal
fails to perform an act.
SWORN ACCOUNT - An account due a creditor made under oath, for goods or services rendered to the debtor.
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TEMPORARY VACANCIES - Generally, public offices which have been vacated and for which no new officer has
been legally selected as a successor.
TENANT - One who has the temporary use and occupation of real property owned by another (landlord) for a
fixed term, usually with terms set by means of a written lease.
TERM OF OFFICE - The period during which an elected officer or appointee is entitled to hold office, perform its
functions and enjoy its privileges and emoluments.
TESTATE - One who has died leaving a valid will.
TESTIFY - To give evidence as a witness.
TESTIMONY - Evidence given by a competent witness, under oath or affirmation, as distinguished from evidence
derived from writings and other sources; oral evidence.
TEXAS RESIDENT - A person living in Texas.
“THE RULE” – See Invoking “The Rule”.
TITLE - The right of ownership of land or property.
TORT - A wrong, an injury, or a violation of a duty imposed by law which results in damage or injury to a person.
TRANSCRIPT - A copy of the court records in a case.
TRANSIENT - a person, who for purposes of venue, has no fixed residence within the state.
TRIAL - Proceedings in open court during which the ultimate issues in a case are determined, by a factfinder
(judge or a jury).
TRIAL DE NOVO - A new trial or retrial held in an appellate court in which the whole case is heard as if no trial
had ever been held in the trial court originally hearing the case. An appeal from the justice court to a county or
district court results in a trial de novo.
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UNCONSCIONABLE - So one-sided as to be oppressive and unfair; often used to describe terms of a contract and
to deny enforcement of a contract.
UNDER “THE RULE” - To place the witnesses on both sides in custody of an officer and remove them from the
courtroom to some place where they cannot hear the testimony as delivered by the other witnesses in the case.
This is done to prevent one witness from being influenced by the testimony of another witness. See Invoking
“The Rule”.
UNLIQUIDATED – An amount not ascertained; undetermined.
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VENIRE FACIAS (Latin) - A judicial writ, commanding a sheriff or other officer to bring before the court a specific
number of individuals to serve on the jury.
VENUE - The place where a case is tried.
VERDICT - The formal and definitive answer by a jury impaneled and sworn for a trial of the case and reported to
the court, upon the matters or issues submitted to the jury during trial.
VITAL STATISTICS - Public records kept by a state, city or other governmental subdivision, under a statutory
provision, of births, marriages, deaths and disease.
VOID - Having no legal force or binding effect, as a void judgment.
VOIDABLE - That which may be avoided, or declared void; not absolutely void, or void in itself but which requires
some action to determine the absence of any legal force or binding effect.
VOIR DIRE (French) - The preliminary examination of a witness or juror, where the individual's competency,
interest, etc., may be questioned; literally, "To speak the truth."
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WAIVER - The intentional or voluntary relinquishment of a known right.
WILLFUL - Voluntary; intending the result which actually comes to pass.
WITNESS - A person whose declaration under oath (or affirmation) is received as evidence for any purpose,
whether such declaration be made on oral examination, by deposition, or by affidavit.
WITNESS BOND - An obligation given by a prospective witness, conditioned on the witness’ faithful appearance
at trial therein to give evidence.
WRIT OF ATTACHMENT - A writ employed to enforce obedience to an order or judgment of the court, such as
attaching a disobedient party and having the party brought before the court.
WRIT OF EXECUTION - A writ to put in force the judgment of a court authorizing an officer to levy on and to sell
certain items of the judgment debtor to satisfy the judgment.
WRIT OF GARNISHMENT - A writ directed to one who has possession of money or property belonging to the
defendant, ordering the third person not to deliver or pay it to the defendant but to deliver or hold it for the
plaintiff.
WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS - A writ which orders that a person be brought before the court in order to test the
legality of the person’s detention by the person to whom the writ is directed.
WRIT OF MANDAMUS - A summary writ issued from a court of competent jurisdiction to command
performance of a specific duty which a person is entitled to have performed.
WRIT OF POSSESSION - The writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover possession of land. It
commands the sheriff to enter the land and give possession of it to the person entitled under the judgment.